CHRISTmas 2011

Merry Late CHRISTmas this year!  I am still working on my cards going out....soon, soon.  We had a busy CHRISTmas season with school activities, end of the season Bible studies, travel to Arkansas, and helping with the foster care CHRISTmas project (a blog to follow soon on that!).  We kept our own CHRISTmas simple.  We did our Jesse tree, and Advent candles which were a great reminder of Jesus' birth.  This was Florie's FIRST Christmas and we wanted it to be special for her.  Little did I know what my sweet hubby had planned!  Alex's big hit was a new phone, Ben's big hit was Alex's old phone, Jack's big hit was his Lego, and Florie's big hit was her lip gloss and container to keep it in.  William surprised us each with donations to the Humane Society for the boys, to Half the Sky Foundation for Florie (who sponsored her orphanage and care in Beihai!), and to Starfish Foster Home for me.  THOSE were my favorite gifts!

Alex and his sassy running shirt from Maw and Papaw

Christmas with Maw

South Arkansas family Christmas

Legos are always a hit

CHRISTmas morning at home!

BEN loves Christmas and feels the full JOY of the season...especially helping others

Daddy's homemade gifts

My sweet eldest

Daddy giving Florie her special gift and explaining it to her...she kept saying she wanted a necklace and a ring like Moma.  So, William measured her neck and finger without me knowing, and special ordered a necklace from James Avery that fits just HER, and has a little heart pendant with her initials on it too.  He also got a little heart ring for her.

Testing the ring out to see if it fits

She loves it! and Mommy was a bit weepy in the background...

Working on the new high chair for Baby

Testing the new Wii game with Ben and Jack

baby is hungry

The end to a perfect day....we stayed in our jammies from Christmas Eve to the morning of the 26th.  It was simple, calm, and GLORIOUS!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Seven Months Home!

December 11....means we have been home 7 months with Florie.  We have been WITH her 1/3 of the time we were WITHOUT her.  She is a bundle of joy....she is spunky, she is curious, and boy is she mischievous!  She is stubborn and loving and smart and busy and a JOY!  She does not sit still unless colors, preferably markers, OR reading is involved.  She adores her brothers....ADORES them!  She loves to sleep (never thought I would say that!), and she loves to GO....on errands, on walks, just to GO!

My friend Vickie Pewitt  at www.vickiepewittphotography.com recently took our family pictures.  She captured Florie in so many beautiful ways...some of my favs:

Saying her favorite phrase "A-ha!"

With Whom she now calls MY DADDY

How I love this girl!

Seven months Likes:

Singing

Drawing and "writing" her name

Counting

Pretending her drink is chocolate milk when it is water to make a "joke" then cracking herself up

"reading" aloud to us

Being pulled on a blanket by her brothers

Following Jack anywhere

Cooking ANYTHING

Green Peas (yes...a vegetable!)

Tofu from Whole Foods

Orange juice

Vitamins

Dressing herself

Saying "I do it!"

Feeding the dogs

Playing with her baby..she bathes her, dresses her, feds and diapers her

Dislikes:

Momma AND Daddy leaving

Santa Claus or any reference to possibly sitting on his lap

Dirty diapers

Crest toothpaste

When I unload the car from errands like Costco and have to go up and down the steps

Sitting still 

Being told NO :)

I look forward to the next two weeks.  This is her first advent season, her first Christmas ever.  She loves the Christmas tree and all of the Christmas lights in the neighborhood.  We are so excited to see all of the kids, but especially Florie on Christmas morning.  She is a blessing to us....a handful, and a blessing.  I cannot imagine our family without her!

Thanksgiving on the Lake

This year we went to my Mom's house in South Alabama for Thanksgiving.  My brother and his family came as well.  We headed out to my Mom's "sweetheart's" lake house to celebrate Thanksgiving.

It was an outdoor affair

Lots of food, wine, juice boxes, and conversation

Her first Thanksgiving

Then the fun really began

Pulling wagons and swinging on swings

Checking out the local wildlife

Driving around

Simple smiles

Football kicks between pine tree "goals"

Boat rides

Family photos

Even time for naps

The kids also enjoyed the zip line across the lake. It starts out 40 feet high and goes across the entire lake.  I did it once.  Enough said.

And then, it was dark.

Time for the biggest bonfire ever....

Thanks to these two who planned it all!

More cousin fun

Watching in amazement....before the s'more eating began

and then it was day two...

time to share our thanksgiving

how fun is it to feed seagulls

outdoor cousin breakfast

Having CHRISTmas too?!

Burning off calories

we found the softest grass EVER!

We even took time for school

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving...the older my kids get, the more quickly the days seem to pass.  I treasured our family time....and was so thankful all 4 of our kids were home for this year!

One year ago today....

My Call to Love: A Thanksgiving to Remember!: (click to read)

Remembering one year ago tonight...when we first saw Florie's face....and realized SHE was to be our DAUGHTER. It seems so long ago, and it seems like yesterday.

Our first look....11 months old

To our first update when 17 months old

To our spunky LT now at almost 29 months old

Whom we have known for 7 months now

Orphans are easier to ignore before you

 know their names. They are easier to 

ignore before you see their faces. It is

 easier to pretend they're not real before

 you hold them in your arms. But once 

you do, everything changes. 

--David Platt Radical

How true. An orphan no more.  Her name is Florie, and she is well loved.  She loves well too.  Praises and thanks to GOD for connecting us, ONE YEAR AGO.

Thanksgiving Week and FREE time

Happy Thanksgiving Week!  We had our first week with NO after school activities. As much as I look forward to that, it always takes a week or two to get "used" to being fully at home again. We have had a lot of messes, and chaos, and not really getting our chores done.....as we adjust to the new normal.  We had a family meeting to discuss hopes/plans for the holiday season, and to serve as a reminder for being respectful and mindful of others in our home and community.  One of my friends recently reminded me of a comment that when your child is 5, they seem to be 5 going on 15.  BUT, when they are 15, they are 15 going on 5.  So, with a lot of patient reminding, hopefully we can keep our eyes focused where they need to be this season.  Love God, and love your neighbor.  I really do not need any more details than that until we all get THAT down really well!

Also caught up a bit on our "memories." I am a packrat by nature, and with 4 kids, I might eventually qualify to be on Hoarders if I do not stick to following the Flylady and my goal to not save everything. The boys and I decided a few years ago to take pictures of their works we were not keeping so we could show their kids one day.  So, we played a bit of catch up yesterday....they loved it!

Ah....I hear Christmas music in the background.  That means my sweetie is ready to help get everything out to start decorating. Florie's first Christmas, praise God!

Jack weaving at school, with a little help from Daddy!

Thanksgiving "feast"

Waiting at Starbucks for a friend

Her favorite activities...wearing Jack's boots and "helping" Moma clean

Documenting our favs

Artwork from last summer, age 6

Such a handsome guy now!

Ben....my animal lover

Flower for Mom